From Batavia PD:
Parking enforcement has been suspended for residents whose driveways are being affected by the sidewalk construction.
Affected residents may park in the street but must follow all other parking regulations (ie. parking the correct way, not parking in a no parking area, etc.) until their driveways are usable again.
Press release:
The New York State Senate has approved two new bills– introduced by Senator Michael H. Ranzenhofer – as part of the most sweeping package of good government reforms proposed in years.
“From bid-rigging scandals to corruption trials, hard-working New Yorkers are fed up with the lack of ethics in state government, and the time is now for real reforms. I am pleased that these reforms are starting to advance through the Legislature,” Ranzenhofer said.
Preventing the Appearance of “Pay-to-Play”
S8409 limits political donations from parties applying for grants, licenses, or doing business with public entities to the public officials or candidates who would approve such grants, licenses, or contracts. Unfortunately, disclosures of significant donations by people or businesses who have received significant public contracts or licenses gives rise to public suspicion that there may be a relationship between the two occurrences, and thus to public cynicism and distrust of the process of how public bodies make decisions.
Prohibiting Certain Political Contributions by Government Appointees
S8404 prohibits appointees who are appointed by the Executive to make political contributions to the Executive or his or her political campaign. The appointees would be prohibited from making political contributions within a year of appointment, during their term, and for a year after the term ends. It also prohibits the appointee from soliciting contributions on behalf of the Executive or the Executive's campaign committee. This prohibition also applies to members in the appointee's household.
A February 2018 article in The New York Times profiled a current trend whereby Executive appointees have made political contributions to the Executive totaling nearly $900,000. An atmosphere where appointees operate under the practice of making routine political contributions to the individual appointing them to their positions leads hardworking citizens to believe that Albany is rife with a "pay-to-play" culture.
Ranzenhofer called for an end to these practices.
“Allowing these questionable practices to continue will only foster distrust and skepticism of the process in state government. Appointed officials of the Executive branch should not be permitted to make donations to the Governor's re-election campaign, and private companies should not be allowed to make campaign contributions to politicians while under consideration for state contracts. These reforms will help to end Albany's pay-to-play culture and restore the public's trust in their state government,” Ranzenhofer said.
The comprehensive legislative package incorporated additional measures to boost accountability, transparency, and prevent the misuse of taxpayer dollars. The following reform bills have passed the Senate and are on their way to the Assembly:
Press release:
Congressman Chris Collins (NY-27), member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, applauded yesterday’s advancement of 25 bills out of the Committee to help combat the opioid crisis. Collins championed three of these pieces of legislation that will head to the House floor.
“The opioid epidemic is impacting every community across America and we have to take action in order to save lives,” Collins said. “We have seen far too many innocent lives lost and families torn apart because of addiction. I’m hopeful that this package of bills will help individuals get the treatment they need and give communities the resources required to stop this epidemic in its tracks.”
Collins joined fellow New Yorker, Congressman Hakeem Jeffries in introducing the Synthetic Drug Awareness Act of 2017 that would require the Surgeon General to report to Congress the public health effects of the rise of synthetic drug use by 12 to 18-year-olds. Currently, Congress does not have sufficient information to craft the unique types of public health and law enforcement approaches that could save our nation’s children from these dangerous substances.
Collins also introduced the Eliminating Opioid Related Infectious Diseases Act of 2018 with Congressman Leonard Lance, Congressman Joseph Kennedy, Congresswoman Anna Eshoo, Congressman Joe Barton, and Congresswoman Doris Matsui that focuses specifically on how the opioid epidemic has contributed to an increase in infectious diseases like Hepatitis C and HIV/AIDS. Increased monitoring and education will lead to a better understanding of the impacts that this crisis is having on public health.
Finally, Collins introduced legislation with Congressman Eric Paulson, Congressman Ron Kind, and Congressman Connor Lamb that would require Medicare to send an annual notice to Part D patients about the adverse effects associated with prolonged opioid use. By improving awareness and education, the Medicare Clear Health Options in Care for Enrollees (CHOICE) Act will help patients be more inclined to watch for the warning signs of addiction and be more informed to talk with their doctors on their options for pain management.
The additional bills focus on helping patients receive treatment and making sure these drugs do not get into the wrong hands. The Committee has identified issues with enforcement, prevention, and coverage within Medicare, and the additional legislation provides solutions that will address these areas.
A background memo, electronic copies of the legislation, and live stream of the markup can be found online here. The Committee plans to hold a second markup on opioid legislation on Thursday, May 17.
Press release:
“How to Create a Positive Work Environment” will be the subject of a small business workshop to be hosted by the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday, May 16.
This is the one of a series of business workshops held in conjunction with the United States Small Business Administration and the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce. The workshops are open to all Chamber and non-Chamber businesses and their employees and will offer expert advice from experienced professionals designed to help small businesses succeed and grow.
“It is possible to have positive – and perhaps even fun – work environment in any business and this workshop is designed to show you how,” said Tom Turnbull, Chamber president.
Greg Lindberg of the Small Business Administration will conduct the workshop.
The workshop will be held at the Chamber of Commerce office, 8276 Park Road, Batavia.The session will run from 7:45 to 9:15 a.m. and includes a question-and-answer period. Cost for non-Chamber members is $10 for each attendee.
Chamber members and Batavia Business Improvement District members may attend all small business workshops free of charge but should make reservations to insure space.
To reserve a seat in any workshop or for more information, contact Kelly Bermingham at 343-7440 or by email at kbermingham@geneseeny.com.
The shooting by a deputy that resulted in the death of Keith Kent in the parking lot of the Indian Falls Log Cabin Restaurant the night of April 11 was deemed justified, the District Attorney's Office announced at a press conference this afternoon.
The Genesee County Grand Jury returned "No Bill" for Sheriff's Deputy Ryan W. Young after a thorough investigation by State Police and a complete review of the evidence by the jury, District Attorney Lawrence Friedman said.
Follow Up: All evidence pointed to justified shooting at Log Cabin, DA says after Grand Jury clears deputy
Tomorrow through Sunday, May 13, is the Grand Opening of the long-awaited Auto Wash Car Wash on West Main Street Road in the Town of Batavia.
You are invited to stop by and say hi and try out the completely refurbished car wash.
Throughout the three-day Grand Opening, all car wash package options will be half price. So the normal price range of $17 to $9 will be $8.50 to $4.50.
On Saturday, there will be free lunches served from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. -- hamburgers, hot dogs and soda pop.
Plus, this Sunday only, which is Mother's Day, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. all moms will be able to get a FREE basic car wash!
Look for a prize wheel and plenty of prize giveaways!
The address is 4017 W. Main Street Road. Phone is 219-4431.
Grand Opening hours of operation are Friday and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sunday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
To learn more about Auto Wash and what it offers, click here.
For The Batavian's original post on the company, click here.
File photo: Greg Farkas, Ryan Schmeer, Bobby Marchenese, and Zach Letta. Letta will manage the Batavia location.
Dr. Keith Carlson, with Attica Veterinarian Associates, explains bovine artificial insemination to high school students today at Genesee Community College for Precision Ag Day.
Precision Ag Day provide students with an overview of the science and technology used in modern agriculture, including drones, GPS-guided tractors, and robotics.
Bradley Hirschman, a student at Pavilion, tries his hand at flying a glider with a camera attached toward a target.
Press release:
There will be traffic delays on Lehigh Avenue in the City of Batavia Tuesday, May 15th, between 7 a.m. 5 p.m. for milling operations.
Roadwork involving the milling of pavement will begin at Ellicott Street, working toward Creek Road. Local traffic will be permitted to and from their residence/property but should plan accordingly for delays.
All residents/businesses within the work area are asked not to park on the roadway during the day.
Once milling is complete, the roadway will be prepared for paving. An additional memo will be issued with specific dates and times for this work.
Please contact the Bureau of Maintenance with any questions. Thank you for your cooperation in advance.
Phone: 585-345-6400, Option 1
Fax: 585-343-6199
www.batavianewyork.com
Submitted photo and press release:
WXXI’s Television Program Director Irene Fink, who lives in Bergen, was recognized as the “Charles Impaglia Programmer of the Year” by TRAC Media Services and the Public Television Programmers’ Association (PTPA) at the PTPA Annual Meeting in New Orleans on May 6.
The Programmer of the Year Award is given to someone who “has developed a program format that has had significant impact on his/her community,” and “demonstrates an ability to creatively use changes in the media environment to his/her station’s advantage.”
Fink has served as WXXI’s Television program director since 2009. She is responsible for programming strategy and scheduling on WXXI's television stations and on City 12 (cable 1303) in the City of Rochester.
The PTPA praised Fink’s impact at WXXI and the effect she has had on the community. They listed several reasons why she was the top programmer:
Fink joined WXXI in 1998 as a casual in the Engineering Department, and in 2002 moved into the TV Division as traffic coordinator. In 2006 she was promoted to assistant director of TV Programming/Traffic and in 2009 to TV program director. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Communication from SUNY Brockport. Fink resides in Bergen with her daughter Kaitlyn.
This is the second award Fink has received from PTPA and TRAC Media Services. The first was the Golden Grid Award in 2011, which she received in recognition of her ability to help strengthen her community by scheduling high-quality programs.
The “Charles Impaglia Programmer of the Year” award is given by PTPA and TRAC Media Services, an audience analysis organization that works with public television stations.
About WXXI
WXXI is the essential, lifelong educational media resource for the Greater Rochester area. WXXI puts the community first with programming that stimulates and expands thought, inspires the spirit, opens cultural horizons and promotes understanding of diverse community issues.
WXXI also has a long-term affiliation with Little Theatre, which helps enhance the cultural life of the community and strengthens two of Rochester's most vital arts institutions. Log on to wxxi.org for more information about our services and programs.
Press release:
Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia) honored cadets and officers from The United States Military Academy in West Point today in Albany. Hawley, who serves on the Assembly’s Veterans Affairs Committee, is a veteran of the Ohio Army National Guard and U.S. Army Reserves.
“West Point Day is always a special celebration in Albany and we are so fortunate to have some of the finest recruits and soldiers in the world right here training in our state,” Hawley said. “As a veteran and son of a veteran, I know the great sacrifices our military members undertake and that drives me to be a strong advocate on their behalf in the legislature.
"Measures like free state park passes and fishing permits and reduced highway tolls are simple displays of gratitude we should be implementing for our veterans and active duty members. I enjoyed meeting the cadets and leadership of West Point today and wish them the best in their careers.”
Photo: Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia) shakes hands with Brigadier General Cindy Jebb, 14th Dean of the Academic Board of the United States Military Academy at West Point.
Dayne Burroughs sent in this photo of some pretty ominous looking clouds gathering over Batavia just before a bit of heavy rain hit this morning.
UPDATE June 2, 2018: We were notified two days ago this event has been cancelled.
Press release:
Batavia High School baseball, softball and girls tennis teams are sponsoring their premier color run 5K event at Batavia High School (260 State St.) on Saturday, June 16th.
Check in / registration starts at 8:15 a.m, race starts at 9 o'clock. This event is open to all ages. Cost is $30, which includes a T-shirt and color pack if registered by June 1st. After June 1st T-shirts are not guaranteed.
Registration is open now; register here.
After the event there will be a color blast party with music. Come out and support these athletes and help make this a great event.
For more information, contact coordinator Nickie Fazio at 356-1690.
Information provided by Cornell College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and Pavilion Central School.
Students at Pavilion Central School are being treated to a delicious BBQ beef lunch on Wednesday, May 23, in recognition of their achievements in the recent Top Cut Beef Contest.
The catered lunch is being provided by the New York State Beef Council and New York Agriculture in the Classroom.
Ag in the Classroom is co-hosting the lunch later this month because Pavilion students established three Tower Gardens (aeroponic systems) thanks to a Grow with Us grant from Ag in the Classroom. They are growing strawberries, lettuce, Swiss chard, tomatoes, basil and cucumbers.
Pavilion's eighth-grade Family Consumer Science students placed first in the Middle School Division of the Top Cut Beef Contest for their product, "Grab-A-Bull's Beefy Sliders."
It was the only school in Genesee County to place in the top five of the Middle School Division.
In the High School Division, Pavilion's 12th-grade Family Consumer Science class placed second for their "Gourmet Beef and Tatar Bites."
Both classes are taught by Catherine Johnston.
Pavilion won a total of $350, thus purchasing a Weber grill for their Family Consumer Science classroom.
A class taught by Kerri Richardson at the Agri-Business Academy at the Batavia Career and Technical Education Center received an Honorable Mention in the High School Division for their "Texas Beef Chili -- Chili con Carne."
About the Top Cut Beef Contest
Slow-roasted beef brisket sandwiches, flaming maple beef jerky, and a Texas chuck roast chili were just a few of the delicious recipes developed, tested, and tasted in the debut of the Top Cut Beef Contest for middle and high school students.
Students and teachers in grades six through 12 were exposed to beef production and nutrition with this experiential learning competition by developing a marketing strategy for a food product of their choice and design.
Every classroom was equipped with a "True Beef: From Pasture to Plate" DVD, the True Beef Educator Guide, lesson plans, and consumer guides to better understand the many cuts of beef and their best uses.
Schools were paired with a local beef producer who mentored the students through the process of beef production or supplied the beef necessary for the project. In this hands-on experience, students were exposed to careers in the beef industry and learned about safe food-handling practices.
Participants created beef-centric recipes which they made and tested with their target audience. Submissions included sandwiches, stews, meatballs, and even jerky.
The creativity with this contest was unlimited as students filmed their own commercials and designed websites to market their products.
One of the judges, Ken Krutz, manager of Empire Livestock and board member of New York Beef Council, said of the entries, "I was amazed at the talent and innovation our youth put into their projects. It was an honor to be a judge for the Top Cut Beef Contest."
A total of 30 entries were submitted for judging by a panel of beef producers and industry experts. Each entry was scored based on the product, the market analysis, the marketing plan, and the beef nutrition analysis.
The first-place classroom in each division received $250, second place earned $100, and third place earned $50; all receive a banner to display their achievement, and the first-place teams, like Pavilion's eighth-graders, are also receiving a catered barbeque lunch from the New York Beef Council.
New York State Beef Council thanked participating schools for increasing the agricultural literacy of their students. "It is our hope that they will grow an appreciation of New York’s food system and gain exposure to the many careers available in agriculture," the council stated.
(To enter your classroom in a future contest, or to volunteer your time as a mentor, please contact nyaitc@cornell.edu.)
Grow With Us Grant
Below is the letter Pavilion Central School teacher Catherine Johnston received from Katie Carpenter, director, New York Agriculture in the Classroom, regarding the Grow with Us Grant.
"Congratulations! You have been selected as a recipient of the Grow with Us Grant from New York Agriculture in the Classroom. Your grant application communicated your school’s need, interest, and commitment to providing healthy food and food system education to your students. The applicant pool for this program was deep and competitive; less than 25 percent of the submitted proposals were funded. You should be proud of your achievement in this difficult selection process.
You have been awarded three Tower Garden aeroponic systems.
Within the next week you will be receiving an emailed link. It will be important for you to thoroughly read the information about accepting the grow system, provide an accurate shipping address, and confirm your contact information. This will be essential to ensuring your grow system is shipped and received in a timely manner. Once this information is received, you will be provided additional information about the shipment of your grow system.
We are excited to work with you and your school as you extend your growing season throughout the entire school year. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns. Again, congratulations on your success in the Grow with Us Grant program."
National Grid is reporting a brownout -- meaning low power availability -- in Downtown Batavia, roughly around the Bank and Main Street area.
Some 93 customers are affected.
Crews estimate full power will be restored by 5 p.m.
The Libertarian candidate for governor, Larry Sharpe, stopped at T.F. Brown's in Batavia on Monday and told about two dozen people who attended the breakfast that he has two main issues in his campaign: fighting corruption and returning more control to local governments.
Sharpe's plan for eliminating corruption is to either eliminate or make more accountable the state's various boards and commissions, to change the way infrastructure is funded, and reduce if not eliminate taxpayer funding for economic development.
"Forget the MTA or the Port Authority or Oasis or the Board of Regents or insert name here," Sharpe said. "All they are are boards that now people can be rewarded for being party loyalists. That happens all the time.
"Our current leader, King Andrew, he actually has received over eight hundred thousand dollars from the people he's put on boards for his campaigns."
Sharpe said these boards are unaccountable and impose edicts that people can't fight.
They also give Gov. Andrew Cuomo a layer of insulation. They allow him to say, "it's not me, it's the boards," he said. And he's insulated from any charges of corruption with those authorities.
"That's why everyone around him goes to jail not him," Sharpe said.
Sharpe's plan for infrastructure, he said, will not only help eliminate corruption but it will help get more things funded.
Local businesses should be able to sponsor locks on the Erie Canal to help cover its $100 million annual price tag for upkeep and maintenance. RIT or some other school should release its students on a project to come up with hovercraft to transport people and goods on the canal, which would also help being a student in New York more exciting, to work on those kinds of projects.
"I also want to build whatever is the new Erie Canal," Sharpe said. "I don't know what that is. I want to talk about it. I want to become the marketer-in-chief so I can sell whatever the new Erie Canel is. Is that a new Google road? Is that driverless vehicle road or something like that? I'm OK with that. Let's do it."
Google, or some other company, Sharpe said, would pay for it.
Bridges, he said, should be paid for by private companies. He envisions sponsorships or naming rights, just like, according to him, companies do with sports stadiums now.
"The idea of sponsoring stadiums is working," Sharpe said. "It is successful people keep doing it all over the place. You keep seeing it even locally now, right?"
When somebody in the audience suggested a company could fail, Sharpe said, "yes they could."
But he said, have you ever heard of a stadium named after a company failing or falling prey to corruption?
He said the current system for building and maintaining bridges is rife with corruption and cronyism. Turning the bridges over to companies through naming rights would solve those problems, he said.
"Now while you may not like the idea of some company having the naming rights for a bridge at least the company that has naming rights for the bridge, that company is responsible," Sharpe said. "Someone is actually responsible. Right? Someone is. If they can't do it, you fire them and let another company in there. It's fine. Someone is responsible."
(NOTE: When a company buys naming rights for a stadium, the company is just another advertiser and does not participate in the management of the stadium.)
Just as important to Sharpe as eliminating corruption, the candidate said, is returning control to local governments.
Not only would he end unfunded mandates, he said, he would eliminate all mandates.
Mandates, he said, discourage people from participating in government because they have no control over how their money is spent, so they just give up.
"I get that the reason why so many people don't want to show up for their own government," Sharpe said. "They believe there's no value in doing it. And in many cases they're right. If you have a county or a township or a village where my perception of your budget is mandated why bother showing up?
"Your county your township or village is actually being run by all of you in Albany or Washington, so why show up? It makes no sense. We have a situation where only the four of us show up. So guess what? I guess you're chair, you're vice chair, you're a secretary and you're treasurer. That's it. No one else ever shows up unless they're mad. You've seen that happen. I'm sure you have. People don't show up unless they're mad."
And then when the only people local government officials deal with are people who are mad, Sharpe said, they stop taking them seriously and then make decisions behind closed doors.
Eliminating mandates would re-engage people in their local governments, he said.
He also wants to create a $500 tax credit that people can direct to charities of their choice, with at least half required to stay in the county of the taxpayer's residence.
His other local issue he wants to change is economic development. He believes only private money should support economic development.
"There's a problem that has been popping up in New York State and that is if there's a problem, how can we find a government program to solve it," Sharpe said. "That has been failing again and again and again and again and again. I like when money goes to a small business. I like when money goes into a community. I like when money goes into a town or a city. That's awesome. But how about it not being taxpayer money?"
David Olsen, chairman of the Genesee County Libertarian Party, asked Sharpe to discuss his views on the Second Amendment.
He started by noting that the Second Amendment is about more than a right to own guns.
"It says 'the right to bear arms,' Sharpe said. "What does that mean? It's the right to defend yourself, whether that's a knife, a gun, whatever, it's the right to defend yourself."
He added that the First Amendment and the Second Amendment are interlocked and the Founders intended these two key rights to top the Bill of Rights because of their importance.
"The First Amendment is the most important amendment," Sharpe said. "I don't care who you are. Number one. They're all important freedoms and number one is the most important. If you don't have free association, you don't have a religion, you don't have a press, you don't have freedom of speech. If you don't have those basic freedoms, you don't have freedom. That's the number one overall.
"The rest all matter. That one is number one over all of them. Without that there's nothing. That's critical. What did they put right after that? The one that defends the first. They didn't wait for the right to bear arms to be 10. They made that two."
Sharpe said he thinks the SAFE Act is horrible and though he wouldn't have the power to repeal it, he would pardon the 1,000 or so people who have been convicted of SAFE Act violations so far and encourage law enforcement not to enforce it. He would also block any SAFE Act funding.
As governor, he said, he will be accountable, not appointed boards and commissions.
"What I'm saying is when I'm governor, I'll make sure that every board, every issue, every concern is either under me, chief justice, the Assembly, someone will be responsible for every single thing to get it done," Sharpe said. "I won't be like, our current governor who sits here his last State and laments about how tough things are. Anybody happen to see his state-of-the-state?
"Oh, tough, bad spot, things are so bad -- [interruption] -- he lamented how bad things were. He's the governor for seven years. He's the governor for seven years. What are you lamenting about? It's you. You're the one responsible. It just randomly happened that things got bad in seven years? Come on. It's crazy."
A physical fight is reported at Route 5 and West Avenue, Pembroke, with traffic backed up.
Law enforcement is responding.
UPDATE 2:43 p.m.: The suspect vehicle has fled; westbound toward Route 77. It's an orange Nitro.
UPDATE 2:45 p.m.: The suspect vehicle has been spotted by a trooper.
UPDATE 2:45 p.m.: The vehicle has stopped.
NOTICE
The monthly meeting of the East Pembroke Fire District will be held next week.
The scheduled East Pembroke Board of Fire Commissioners monthly meeting was cancelled May 8 due to a large fire operation in the district.
The meeting is now rescheduled to be held beginning at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, May 15, at the East Pembroke Fire District Hall, located at 8655 Barrett Drive, Batavia.
By Order of the
East Pembroke Fire District William R. Joyce, Secretary
Press release:
Sunday, May 13th, is Jazz Sunday at the First Presbyterian Church in Batavia. It is located at 300 E. Main St.
Hosting the local jazz group, DSP, the church will sing such favorites as "Precious Lord," "Take My Hand" and "When the Saints Go Marching In."
The jazz combo will play before church and during the coffee hour afterward.
The Sanctuary Choir will sing "Wade in the Water" with their accompaniment.
Come at 10:30 a.m. for the pre-service music and stay through coffee hour for an inspiring time of worship and fellowship led by Pastor Roula Alkhouri.
Copyright © 2008-2022 The Batavian. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service
